Shudder remains the go-to destination for horror streaming, weaving a wide web of nasty delights as they constantly add more to their impressive lineup. As far as their original films are concerned, they truly run the gamut from excellent (Oddity, The Sacrifice Game) to hilariously entertaining (Slaxx, Attachment) to just plain bad (Perpetrator, Skinamarink). Elric Kane’s The Dead Thing falls somewhere in between the latter two categories. There are flashes of creativity to be found here and there, especially when it comes to the approach of Kane and co-writer Webb Wilcoxen in the dating scene. Mostly though, the disjointed plot and purposeful dodging of straightforward answers to its many questions are just frustrating. Messy and underwhelming, The Dead Thing presents a take on ghostly romance with little to offer beyond unintentionally comedic visuals and an equally nonsensical narrative.
In a major case of dating gone wonky, scanning clerk Alex (Blu Hunt, The New Mutants) endlessly swipes her way through her existence. We follow her through a random array of endless hookups, courtesy of dating app Friktion. Ultra close-ups on these men and their facial features appear to emphasize over and over again that Alex does indeed have a type. Alex’s sense of dissatisfaction afterwards presents the real problem. She continues to search for connection until she comes upon Kyle (Ben Smith-Petersen, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga), a twink with a shaved head, tattooed chest, and a cute smile. Their time together is brief, but Alex vibes with and eventually sketches Kyle—we are led to believe this depiction is beautiful, but as far as artwork goes, it is actually quite ugly. Nevertheless, shortly after their first surprisingly deep meeting, Alex seems to disappear without a trace.
Days go by, and Alex tries to get back into the dating scene. A weird flirtation happens with her coworker, Mark (Joey Millin, Threshold), and back on Friktion again, Alex cannot seem to shake thoughts of Kyle. When on another superfluous date, she notices Kyle wandering off with another woman. Ever the creep, Alex follows the duo back to her place. Things only get weirder and more unexplainable from there. Their encounters become increasingly unhinged as Kyle’s secret agenda rears its ugly unseen head. Neither Hunt nor Smith-Petersen are particularly convincing, but they do have an easy chemistry that occasionally works to the film’s benefit.
Kane hooked me at first with the use of old school font in the opening credits and ominous gothic music as the score. Setting a genre flick within the Los Angeles dating scene could have been a great doorway into some macabre dark humor. The very idea of unresolved desires haunting those still alive sounds so fascinating. Instead, The Dead Thing attempts strokes of originality while blending other much better movies in the process. Strokes of All of Us Strangers and The Invisible Man lack the emotional resonance and honestly any semblance of fun or enjoyment from either of those titles.
Key details are left unresolved, leading to giant plot holes too glaring to ignore. Even the visuals feel amateurish and ridiculous. A minor highlight was the presence of John Karna (MTV’s Scream, Premature), an excellent actor who we do not see nearly enough these days. Though his part is small, he turns on the charms from the second he appears in the latter half. Too bad he only sparingly shows up, having little effect on overarching story. A blending of supernatural horror and romantic drama falls flat, leaving The Dead Thing an inconsistent mess without the staying power even a bad date would allow.
Watch in disbelief as The Dead Thing shambles onto Shudder this Valentine’s Day.
